Review Roundup: WAR OF THE ROSES, Rose Theatre Kingston

Rose Theatre Kingston presents THE WARS OF THE ROSES, which opened on 16 September and runs through 31 October 2015.

Trevor Nunn directs Oscar Batterham (John Talbot/Son who killed his father), Freddy Carter (company), Kåre Conradi (Dauphin/Edward IV), Oliver Cotton(Winchester/Clifford/Hastings), Jim Creighton (Burgandy/Simpcox/Stafford/Father who killed his son/Ely),Imogen Daines (Joan of Arc/Lady Bona/Lady Anne), Harry Egan (company), Alexandra Gilbreath (Eleanor, Duchess of Gloucester/Elizabeth), Alexander Hanson (Richard, Duke of York/Buckingham), Rufus Hound (Bedford/Bolingbroke/Jack Cade/Rivers), James de Lauch Hay (company), Geoff Leesley (Exeter/Mortimer/Lord Mayor/Lt of the Tower), Owen Oakeshott (Somerset/Ratcliff), Joely Richardson (Margaret),Robert Sheehan (Alencon/Richard III), James Simmons (Talbot/John Hume/Norfolk/First Murderer), Laurence Spellman (Bastard of Orleans/Young Clifford/Richmond/Second Murderer), Susan Tracy (Margery Jourdain/Duchess of York), Alex Waldmann (Henry VI/Tyrrel),Timothy Walker(Warwick/Catesby), Andrew Woodall(Gloucester/Iden/Derby) and Michael Xavier (Suffolk/George of Clarence).

Let's see what the critics had to say:

Gary Naylor, BroadwayWorld.com: The acting is sensational. With so many in the company playing multiple roles, it's more trite than ever to single out individuals, but, well... I'm going to! Robert Sheehan (looking like a young Steve Coogan) has the enormous burden of the audience's twelve hours investment culminating in his interpretation of Richard. He rises to the challenge magnificently, boyish and sly at first, then charismatic and brave, souring into a vicious murderous tyrant, before weakening into a miserable, defeated foe. I don't care for awards for artistic endeavour, but this is award-worthy stuff from Sheehan. Joely Richardson is also superb as Margaret, the warrior queen, a huge presence on stage and an utterly convincing object of male desire and wonder as a political / military leader. That said, unlike Henry VI's court, this is a company with no weak links.

Henry Hitchings, The Evening Standard: The undoubted star is Alex Waldmann as Henry VI. At first he seems absurdly childlike, fidgety and uncertain. As he develops into a passive and politically limp monarch, Waldmann delicately conveys his mix of fecklessness and saintly idealism, contrasting strikingly with the steely, dominant Joely Richardson as his queen, Margaret of Anjou.

Chris Omaweng, London Theatre One: The greatest character development of all is seen in Henry VI (a hugely likeable Alex Waldmann) - the audience sees him grow into his role as ruler of the realm. There is much sympathy for Henry as he deals with affairs of state. Even as an unsure and frightened boy with a sceptre in hand, Waldmann held the audience's attention, and he was conspicuous by his absence whenever off-stage. As for the stage itself, it makes good use of a balcony, as Shakespeare would have done in his day: the best view is thus from the circle, as there is much neck craning involved from the stalls.

Michael Billington, The Guardian: One thing has crucially changed since 1963. Successive productions by Terry Hands, Michael Bogdanov and Michael Boyd have proved that the three Henry VI plays stand up to revival without adaptation. Henry VI Part Two, in particular, strikes me as Shakespeare's first masterpiece: a play that shows how disorder spreads through society like a cancer. Once the Duke of Suffolk arbitrarily encloses common land and a cardinal's man appropriates someone's property, the way is open to a popular demagogue such as Jack Cade.

Dominic Cavendish, The Telegraph: Peter Hall and John Barton's amalgamation of Shakespeare's early tetralogy - forging the three parts of Henry VI and Richard III into a trilogy capable of being viewed across a single day - is the stuff of hallowed, nay mythologised memory. It's also a work of legendary semi-sacrilege: the rebel-minded scholarly Barton re-ordered scenes, axed characters and presumed to add over 1,400 lines of his own pastiche blank verse invention.

Matt Trueman, Variety: t best, as Nunn himself has pointed out, it becomes a kind of proto-"Game of Thrones," which makes it sound far sexier than it is. Shakespeare shows us a kingdom divided by warring clans, with a cast of ferocious warriors and gnarled villains, vindictive queens and sapling kinds, and death after death after death. But Jon Snow would eat this lot for breakfast, and next to the Red Wedding, it all looks like a nursery rhyme.

Michael Coveney, Whats On Stage: Nunn's production, although it looks a bit musty, more 1950s than 1590s, is strongly cast with Alex Waldmann making a humorous little boy simpleton of Henry VI, the Norwegian television star Kåre Conradi doubling strongly as the Dauphin (sensually bewitched by Imogen Daines's gamine Joan of Arc, though I wish we'd seen her go up in flames) and Edward IV, Joely Richardson as a wonderful Margaret of Anjou, ageing into an uncanny likeness of her own mother, Vanessa Redgrave, as the she-wolf in full armour, and James Simmons as Talbot, terror of the French.

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